My two cents...I saw the run in Atlanta and thought it needed work, but overall it was absolutely wonderful. It's greatest crime is that it's preaching to the choir, but boy is it preaching with some great songs and a hilarious book. They won't get criticized for lack of craft. Also, the use of social media will come off as a little precious compared to how it's used in Dear Evan Hanson. When most of the critics panned the score to Mean Girls (maybe a bit too harshly, but that's another story) I remember thinking to myself, "They should have asked the writers of The Prom to write the score." I do worry that it's all going to feel a little done already now that Casey has done his high school musical. But Brookes is worth every penny, as well as Beth Leavel. For the first time in any show I actually enjoyed watching her because her character goes through a genuine transformation. She will definitely earn a Tony nomination, as will he. His big 11:00 number called "Prom" is fantastic.
For what its worth, the show takes a little while to kick into gear. There was a rambling opening number with the Broadway stars that overstayed its welcome and actually didn't set the show up very well. It was a one joke song. Hopefully, they will have figured that out. They've certainly had enough time since the try out. They need a "Comedy Tonight" kind of song. But other than the opening, I really enjoyed everything else. There is a Godspell send up that is hilarious! Rambling thoughts complete.
PS- if the show is a success, I guarantee we will all start using the phrase, "Zazz!" |
